1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a collective vertical hydraulic tank with stabilizing connectors, the connectors adjustable to allow for an adjustable footprint for the collective tank.
2. Background
The use of fluids to facilitate drilling and extraction is well known in the oil and gas industry. Fluids commonly known as “drilling mud” provide a number of advantages when drilling a borehole. For example, drilling mud is used to carry cuttings produced by the drill bit to the surface through the annular space between the drill string and the wall of the borehole. Drilling mud can also transfer heat away from the drill bit and drilling assembly. Lubrication of the drill bit and assembly may also be provided, depending on the formulation of the drilling mud used. These and other functions are provided by drilling mud used during the drilling process.
In the process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a fracture is formed in a layer of rock by pumping fracturing fluid into a well bore at a rate sufficient to increase pressure downhole enough to fracture the rock. As the rock fractures, the fracturing fluid is pushed further into the rock, causing it to fracture further, and so on. This process can be used to release petroleum, natural gas, or other substances for extraction.
Fluid storage facilities are needed on-site to provide a store of fluid for applications such as hydraulic drilling and fracking. A variety of fluid storage tanks are known and used in the industry. Some such tanks are horizontal, including inflatable horizontal tanks that are easily transported to a job site. A drawback of horizontal tanks is that they occupy a great deal of space. As space at a job site becomes more valuable, it is preferably to use vertical tanks instead of horizontal ones.
Vertical tanks, however, suffer from drawbacks of their own. When using a vertical tank, the weight of the tank and the fluid included therein is spread over a much smaller area of ground than with a horizontal tank. Because of this, the impact of the tank on the ground is more substantial. Further, vertical tanks have greater instability than horizontal tanks, due in part to force vectors of fluid contained within the tank.